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Judgment at Nuremberg Overview:

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) was a Drama - Historical Film directed by Stanley Kramer and produced by Stanley Kramer and Philip Langner.

SYNOPSIS

This rare drama of ideas is one of the most thought-provoking of Hollywood's many considerations of WWII, and one of the most acclaimed. American jurist Tracy presides as Chief Justice over the Nuremberg tribunal that judges responsibility for war crimes. He balances the emotional testimony of Holocaust victims with the defense of individuals having no personal responsibility for institutional madness (Schell is magnificent as the German defense counsel) as well as the political pressures brought to bear outside his courtroom. A stellar cast working at the top of their form for Kramer, who earlier showed his ability with courtroom drama as director of Inherit the Wind (1960). Based on a Playhouse 90 broadcast.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Judgment at Nuremberg was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2013.

Academy Awards 1961 --- Ceremony Number 34 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorMaximilian SchellWon
Best ActorSpencer TracyNominated
Best Supporting ActorMontgomery CliftNominated
Best Supporting ActressJudy GarlandNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: Rudolph Sternad; Set Decoration: George MiloNominated
Best CinematographyErnest LaszloNominated
Best Costume DesignJean LouisNominated
Best DirectorStanley KramerNominated
Best Film EditingFrederic KnudtsonNominated
Best PictureStanley Kramer, ProducerNominated
Best WritingAbby MannWon

Judgment at Nuremberg BlogHub Articles:

Judgment at Nuremberg (1963)

There are certain real-world events Hollywood is quick to capitalize on and others they take their time with (the Vietnam War in the ’70s-’80s). Judgment at Nuremberg is a landmark film for its honest, no-holds barred discussion of the Holocaust where, after the dust had settled, the US ... Read full article


Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

This epic court drama relates the true story of the War Crime Trials after World War II. With Stanley Kramer directing, this cast is amazing. Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, Werner Klemperer, and even William Shatner all play a part. ... Read full article


Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

This epic court drama relates the true story of the War Crime Trials after World War II. With Stanley Kramer directing, this cast is amazing. Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, Werner Klemperer, and even William Shatner all play a part. ... Read full article


Judgment at Nuremberg (1)

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) A reporter character in Judgement at Nuremberg says he could not give away a story about the Nuremberg Nazi war crime trials in 1948 because America had moved on from the war and was no longer interested. If Americans were not interested in the trials then, they certainl... Read full article


Judgment at Nuremberg (2)

Three years after WWII, an American court put four Nazi judges on trial for their war crimes under the Third Reich.  Through eight months in a small courtroom, the decision became more than a judgment on right and wrong, but a moral authority for the entire world. The bulk of the film is set within... Read full article


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Judgment at Nuremberg Quotes:

Col. Tad Lawson: One thing about Americans, we're not cut out to be occupiers. We're new at it and not very good at it.

Mrs. Bertholt: We must forget if we want to go on living.
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Judgment at Nuremberg Facts
By the time the film was made, all of the convicts had already been released.

Judy Garland's first film since A Star Is Born, seven years before.

Many of the actors involved in the film did so for a fraction of their usual salary because they felt the subject matter was so important.

A TV production was previously telecast live on April 16, 1959 - Judgment at Nuremberg. In this film, Maximilian Schell and Werner Klemperer repeat their roles from that TV production.

Marlon Brando wanted to play the role of Hans Rolfe, the German lawyer who defends the German judges. Brando, in a rare attempt to garner the part, actually approached Stanley Kramer about it. Although, Kramer and Abby Mann were very intrigued with the idea of having an actor of Brando's talent and stature in the role, both were so impressed with Maximilian Schell's portrayal of the same part in the original Playhouse 90 TV broadcast of "Judgment at Nurmemberg", that they had decided to stick with the relatively unknown Schell, who later won the Oscar for Best Actor for that role.

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